IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel says the Department of Justice directed his agency to remove a whistleblower from the investigation into Hunter Biden's finances, reports Fox News.
"I want to state unequivocally that I have not intervened — and will not intervene — in any way that would impact the status of any whistleblower," Werfel wrote in a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., and ranking member Richard Neal, D-Mass., in mid-May.
"The IRS whistleblower you reference alleges that the change in their work assignment came at the direction of the Department of Justice. As a general matter and not in reference to any specific case, I believe it is important to emphasize that in any matter involving federal judicial proceedings, the IRS follows the direction of the Justice Department."
Werfel also said he contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in response to allegations of retaliation.
"When I first learned of the allegations of retaliation referenced in your letter and in media reports on May 16, 2023, I contacted the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). In light of laws and policies designed to protect the integrity of pending proceedings, I am unable to provide details on this matter."
"TIGTA confirmed that my role as commissioner in any whistleblower proceeding is not an investigative one. When an IRS employee raises allegations of this kind, the commissioner's office does not run an investigation, seek the identity of the whistleblower, or similarly intervene; instead, the inspector general serves as a critical guardian of the whistleblower process and conducts relevant inquiries into the matter," he added.
Lawyers for one of the whistleblowers told lawmakers last week that the agent "was informed that he and his entire investigative team are being removed from the ongoing and sensitive investigation of the high-profile, controversial subject about which our client sought to make whistleblower disclosures to Congress. He was informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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